Columbus Mom’s Guide to the Month of February 2018

Love is in the air! Don’t let the cold and often dreary month of February keep you from having fun! We’ve rounded up some of the best activities going on in Columbus this month. As we find additional events we will update the list, so be sure to check back throughout the month. If we missed something, comment below.

February 1-7

February 1- March 25: The Wizard of OZ Educational Exhibit: 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10:00 a.m.- 9:00 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. on Sunday | THE WIZARD OF OZ™ Educational Exhibit is the first-ever, licensed traveling educational exhibit based on the beloved movie classic. Guests travel from the Gale Farm to the colorful Land of Oz, where they explore Munchkinland, The Crossroads, The Witch’s Castle and The Emerald City.

Through February 18: Daddy Long Legs: Various Times on Wednesdays-Sundays at Studio Two Riffe Center | A heartwarming Cinderella story about a witty and winsome young woman and her mysterious benefactor, based on the treasured novel that inspired the classic 1955 film! The show plays Wednesday- Sunday from January 31- February 18.

February 3:Valentine’s Day Bean Bag Toss: 9 a.m. – noon at Home Depot | Build a Valentine-themed bean bag game for the whole family to love! Register for FREE.

February 3: Cars at COSI: 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at COSI | Come enjoy a movie on the Big Screen for $5! Each weekend this winter is a different movie.

February 3, 10, 17, 24: Kids Club Crafts: 10 a.m. – noon at Michaels | 12 spots available for each class so be sure to use the link to register and check availability. They craft, you shop! $2 per child.

February 3: PBJ & Jazz: 10 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. at the Lincoln Theatre | Children receive a peanut butter & jelly sandwich, cookie, and juice at this jazz performance. $5 per person with a maximum of $20 per family.

February 3, 10, 17, 24: Free Crafts for Kids: 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at Lakeshore Learning | Each week children can make and take home a special craft. FREE

February 3: Sweet Treats Dessert Festival: 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at The Exchange at Bridge Park | Tickets are $15 for a 2-hour time slot and also early bird tickets for $25. Enjoy treats from the best of Columbus like Jeni’s Ice cream, The Cheesecake Girl, Short North Piece of Cake and many more! Live entertainment, cash bar, and shopping will also be on site.

February 3: Short Nort Gallery Hop: 4:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. | The first Saturday of every month is the much anticipated Gallery Hop. Businesses stay open later, there’s lots of art and exhibits to look at, as well as food and drinks.

February 4: Football Sunday Skate Party: 1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at United Skates of America | Two different skating times are offered: 1 – 3:30 p.m. and 4 – 7 p.m.

February 4: Sunday afternoon with the Giggle Factory: 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at Hilliard Davidson High School Theater | Perfect for toddlers and young children- stage performance at 2 p.m. with games and activities to follow. $1 for children and $3 for adults.

February 5: Come Talk with Me: 9:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m. at Tree of Life Play Cafe | Half hour of fun-filled parent and child activities that focus on language and literacy development. $5 per child or $10 for class and play pass at the cafe.

February 6-11: Chicago: various times at the Palace Theatre | Eddie George stars in this beloved and award-winning musical.

February 7: Toddler Theater: 10:00 a.m. at the Dublin Recreation Center | This interactive musical performance is recommended for children ages 2-5. Clifford the big red dog is scheduled to make an appearance. $2 per child

February 7: Wild Story Time: 10:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m. at the Ohio Wildlife Center | Listen to a wildlife book and then make a craft. Visit with animal ambassadors and walk around the grounds. $5 for adults and children 5 and under are free.

February 8-15

February 8: Old Worthington Chocolate Walk: 6:00- 9:00 p.m. along the historic business district of Worthington | Walk into various businesses and present your ticket for a treat. $20 per ticket and begins at COhatch.

February 9-11: Fishing Expo: 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. on Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. on Saturday and 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Sunday | It’s three days of sport fishing education and fun at the Columbus Fishing Expo! It includes a jam-packed schedule of educational seminars, speakers, and activities!

February 9: Family Nights: 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at the Worthington Community Center | Activities include arts, crafts and open gym time. FREE

February 10: Art with Anna: 10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. in Bexley | Make cupid arrows in this parent and me art class! $15 per pair and $5 for an additional child.

February 10:Chocolate Walk: 12:00 p.m. – 6:00p.m. along the streets of downtown Delaware | Stop in each business for a tasty treat. $20 per ticket.

February 10: Valentine’s Paint Party at Hanna Anderson: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at Hanna Anderson | Join in for a painting party with your valentines, big and little! The first 25 customers will receive a special canvas while supplies last, and we’ll have paper to share with everyone following.

February 11: KidX Club Polaris: 12:00 p.m. -1:30 p.m. at Polaris Mall | Happy Valentine’s Day at KidX Club! Bring the little ones to create their very best Valentine craft.

February 13: Kids Sweetheart Family Night: 5:00 pm. – 8:00 p.m. at Chick-fil-A at East Broad Street | This fun Valentine’s event will have a scavenger hunt, a sundae toppings bar, crafts, and much more!

February 14: Victorian Tea: 12:30 p.m. at the Kelton House | Sample traditional tea sandwiches and appetizers and listen to a short educational program.

February 14: Valentine’s Day at White Castle: dinner is served between 4:00-9:00 p.m. at most locations | White Castle goes all out for this special annual event with decorations, someone to seat you, take your order at the table and more. Make reservations if you don’t want to miss this tradition.

February 15: Superhero and Princess Community Night: 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at Easter Seals | A FREE and fun superhero and princess themed community night! Your favorite superheroes and princesses will be present. Also, children can play in the indoor gym, bounce in the bounce house, make a superhero cape, mask or princess tiara, create a unique masterpiece with our spin art machine, and play in the sensory bin.

February 16-23

February 16-18: Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie: 10:00 a.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Marcus Theaters | Watch your favorite family flicks for $3 on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 10:00 a.m.

February 16-18: Blaine Wilson Sportsfest: various times each day at Ohio Expo Center & State Fair (Voinovich) | Watch men’s and women’s gymnastics.

February 17: A Breakfast with Characters presented by Junior League of Columbus: 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at LBrands Cafe | Meet heroes and princesses at this special breakfast. For only $20 per ticket, guests will enjoy breakfast, character interaction, activities, a silent auction, music and more. All guests must have a ticket to attend – children 12 months and under are free.

February 17-25: Home & Garden Show: at various times each day (closed on Tuesday) at Ohio Expo Center & State Fair (Bricker Building, Celeste Center) | A highlight for children will be to tour the 10 storybook gardens depicting popular books such as Very Hungry Caterpillar, Pete the Cat, Charlotte’s Web and more designed by top landscapers.

February 17 & 18: Sanity Saver Weekend Winter Survival: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. at Highbanks Nature Center | Get the kids out of the house and into the Nature Center to enjoy some activities about how animals and prehistoric people survived the cold – FREE

February 17: Columbus Zoo at Pickerington Library: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | The amazing educators at our very own Columbus Zoo will bring a variety of animal ambassadors to the library for a lively and completely awesome family program.

February 17: Maple Sugaring Syrup Time: 2:00 p.m. at Glacier Ridge Metro Park | Take a short walk to a maple tree to see how trees are tapped to collect sap. Then see the process of boiling the sap to make syrup.

February 20: Intro to Hand Lettering: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at Le Meridian | Do you love the look of hand lettering, but are not sure where to start? Natalie of Natterdoodle is here to help! If you can write in cursive, or even if you can just print, OK, even if you can just hold a pen — you can get creative and develop a unique hand lettering style!

February 21: Toddler Theater: 10 a.m. at the Dublin Recreation Center | This interactive musical performance is recommended for children ages 2-5. $2 per child

February 23: Member Appreciation Family Swim: 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. at Goldfish Swim School Dublin and Goldfish Swim School Westerville | All members are FREE, non-members are welcome for a $5/person or $15/max for a family. Giveaways throughout the night. This event is first come, first served.

February 23: Read Across America!: 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Worthington Community Center | Play, craft, swim and celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss. Swimming will be free with a preschool book donation. Cost to swim without a book donation is $5 for children and $8 for adults

February 24-28

Continues through February 25: Home & Garden Show: at various times each day (closed on Tuesday) | A highlight for children will be to tour the 10 storybook gardens depicting popular books such as Very Hungry Caterpillar, Pete the Cat, Charlotte’s Web and more designed by top landscapers.

February 24: Hoot: 10:00 a.m. at Gateway Film Center | Listen to live music from the Shazzbots, dance and watch kid-friendly short films from around the world. Free with a canned food donation.

February 24: Night at the Museum: 7:00-9:30 p.m. at the Ohio History Center | Explore the museum after hours and see if it really does come to life. 6:00-7:00 is for Ohio History Members only. Advance tickets are required.

February 25: Mister G Concert and Purim Palozza: 10:30 a.m. at the Jewish Community Center Columbus | International Children’s Music Star and Grammy award winner, Mister G, will be performing for families. Purchase advanced tickets for a discount.

February 25: Maple Sugarin’ and Syrup Time: 2:00 p.m. at Homestead Park | Take a short walk to a maple tree to see how trees are tapped to collect sap. Then see the process of boiling the sap to make syrup.

Ongoing Activities

Tuesdays: $5 Tuesdays: Watch the latest movies for $5 admission and enjoy $2 hot dogs and $2 candy with a beverage purchase. Be sure to visit the link for more details.

About Maureen Ingham

Maureen Ingham has enjoyed living in the great city of Columbus for nearly 10 years! Originally from Canton, Ohio, Maureen attended Ohio University and will always be a bobcat at heart! After completing her education degree in Athens, she made her way to The Ohio State University to obtain a Masters degree in Special Education. She fell in love with Columbus then and convinced her now husband to join her in this awesome city! She taught 5th grade for 6 years, before deciding to stay home to raise two beautiful girls. Their family has recently moved to Worthington with their two girls and are excited to plant their roots here! Their first daughter, Maeve is 2 1/2 and her sister, Reese is 10 months old. Maureen loves staying home and finding fun things for the girls to do to occupy their days! Between remodeling their house and keeping two active girls busy, the days fly by!
Maureen also makes headbands for baby girls and has an etsy shop called Sunshine Head to Toe. In between potty training, sweeping up crumbs, exploring Columbus, and getting kids down for naps, Maureen enjoys working out, trying new recipes and restaurants, traveling, spending time with family, being crafty and trying to help others whenever she can!
Maureen has many Columbus favorites. Her go to restaurant is Third and Hollywood, she enjoys a sweet treat at Sassafrass Bakery, a slice of pizza at harvest pizza and a warm cup of joe at Stauffs. A perfect Saturday involves an outdoor activity with her family and trying a new restaurant when they can! She is excited to be a part of an excellent team here at Columbus Moms blog and hopes to be able to inspire mothers that small acts of kindness go a long way in raising their kids and the city they live in!